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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — to breed
  3. bore — to drill
  4. pit — in a race
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. spell — letters
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. perch — the fish
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mate — a friend
  12. stem — to come from
  13. bore — to tire
  14. fall — the season
  15. sharp — clever
  16. spell — magic
  17. pit — a hole
  18. fall — to drop
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. spell — a short time
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com